Aliona Vilani is set to make a shock return to ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ later this year – despite announcing she had quit.
The professional booty-shaker, who turned her back on the programme late last year, is to rejoin the Ballroom and Latin show as a behind-the-scenes choreographer.
A source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "She is bored and really keen to get back on the show in some capacity.
"She is currently talking to show bosses about having a choreography role, and she is their number one dancer to turn to if someone has an injury. She’s over the moon and realised she was a bit hasty in her decision to quit."
The 32-year-old beauty will also open the next series’ first show with Jay McGuinness after they impressed with their fancy footwork last year and waltzed to victory.
The Russian-Kazakh dancer decided to walk away from the BBC One series in December in order to start a family with her husband Vincent Kavanagh but admitted shortly afterwards that she couldn’t stop crying due to regret.
She said at the time: "I’m missing it already. When I decided to leave after the final I cried my eyes out. It was very upsetting for me. It was a really hard decision."
Meanwhile, this year’s series, which will hit screens in the autumn, has been given a huge shake-up as three new dancers will be joining the professional line-up.
World Champion Katya Jones, Ukrainian Champion Oksana Platero and top Spanish dance professional Gorka Marquez will help to guide the celebrity contestants on the dance show, which features judges Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli, Craig Revel Horwood and Darcey Bussell.
Pasha Kovalevsky, Aljaz Skorjanec, Giovanni Pernice, Natalie Lowe, Joanne Clifton, Janette Manrara and Oti Mabuse will also return to the programme as professionals alongside favourites Anton du Beke, Brendan Cole and Kevin and Karen Clifton.
Aliona Vilani to return to Strictly Come Dancing
